App Description:
In this app children journey through a variety of learning and activity screens with three different levels to choose from with a friendly blue bear as their guide. Children can count the number of swings a bunny makes, practice simple addition through word problems with manipulatives (ducks), order puppies from smallest to largest, practice subtraction with word problems and manipulatives (fruit falling from a tree), choose colorful pictures to fill in the missing spot in a pattern, help mice jump onto a teeter totter so that both sides are equal, and practice counting again by feeding a hungry hippo various food items.
This app focuses more on conceptual/manipulative-based understanding of math than it does drilling specific math facts. This is just what I’m looking for in the young years, a comfortable familiarity with numbers and mastery of the numerals (at least up to 9). There is a lot of strength to be found here in building the thinking, pre-math skills needed before tackling more advanced problems. For example, the mice on the teeter totter start developing early equivalency skills.
The lower levels of Park Math can be used for preschool/kindergarten age students, while level three (only available for iPad) could even be used for first grade – the ordering, addition, and subtraction problems are in the higher range of digits and are appropriate for that level, though the design might be a bit too young for ‘big-kids’ in that age group – depends on your child.
What We Liked:
Everything. The design is excellent; navigation is smooth as butter, unforced, and flexible. At any time children can move to the next (or previous) activity screen or access a visual menu that allows them (or parents) to change the level of difficulty or the activity set. Because a variety of levels are available that increase in difficulty (for most activities – some remain fairly basic – like feeding the hippo) this app is a great one to get while your children are small – an app to grow with. The background music is light instrumentals of classic children’s songs and is very calm – perfect.
I love the colors and the bright, child-friendly characters and art. All of the visual manipulatives are interactive, they say the numbers they are labeled with when touched, they move around to help your child answer the question when they are tapped (ducks climbing up ladders in addition, apples falling from the tree in subtraction). There are lots of fun interactive extras from the home screen itself to the popping groundhog your child can tap while watching the bunny on the swing count up. The feeding the hippo activity is a HUGE hit in our house and is one that my five-year-old turns to more than any of the others. I’m so glad that it reinforces her counting skills every time she plays it.
What We Didn’t Like:
Nothing. Fabulous app – one of the best we’ve tried, there are no complaints here.
Overall:
This is the first Duck Duck Moose app we’ve downloaded, and I am thrilled by the quality of their work and the amount of content and interactive learning activities included. Park Math is vibrant, easy-to-use, and very educational. I’m a happy homeschooling mom!
Disclosure: I received a promo code to download this app for free.
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